bengal: CBI, ED officers appear before Bengal speaker | India News – Rashtra News : Rashtra News
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KOLKATA: Five CBI and two Enforcement Directorate officers presented themselves before Bengal assembly speaker Biman Banerjee on Monday after the Calcutta HC directed the CBI officials to appear before him and “respectfully seek” an adjournment of his hearing.
Banerjee had summoned officials of both agencies and sought their explanation on how they could proceed against MLAs without seeking his permission. The speaker’s action followed CBI and ED chargesheets against Trinamool leaders Firhad Hakim, Subrata Mukherjee and Madan Mitra and their arrests in the Narada sting operation case. CBI deputy superintendent of police Satyendra Singh had moved the HC, questioning the speaker’s authority to summon the officials. Justice Rajasekhar Mantha gave the order after CBI officers stayed away from the speaker’s office on the ground that the agency had taken the Bengal governor’s sanction for prosecution of Hakim, Mukherjee, Mitra and former minister Sovan Chatterjee. Singh also wanted to know whether the assembly speaker could question the validity of the sanction for prosecution when the issue was pending before the high court. Justice Mantha wanted to hear the speaker’s views before taking up the matter for hearing again on Tuesday.
The officers appeared before the speaker at the Vidhan Sabha at 4 pm, in accordance with the HC order, and stayed there for 30 minutes. Neither the officers nor Banerjee spoke to the media after that.
The CBI started the investigation into the Narada sting operation in March 2017 after a Calcutta HC directive. The sting surfaced before the 2016 assembly elections in Bengal; several videos showed prominent Bengal politicians and one police officer being offered cash to further a business proposal and some accepting it. The CBI probe report was sent to the Bengal governor in January 2021, seeking permission to prosecute Hakim, Mukherjee, Mitra and Chatterjee. Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar granted the sanction on May 7, 2021, five days after the Trinamool handed out a 213-77 defeat to the BJP in the assembly polls.
Banerjee had summoned officials of both agencies and sought their explanation on how they could proceed against MLAs without seeking his permission. The speaker’s action followed CBI and ED chargesheets against Trinamool leaders Firhad Hakim, Subrata Mukherjee and Madan Mitra and their arrests in the Narada sting operation case. CBI deputy superintendent of police Satyendra Singh had moved the HC, questioning the speaker’s authority to summon the officials. Justice Rajasekhar Mantha gave the order after CBI officers stayed away from the speaker’s office on the ground that the agency had taken the Bengal governor’s sanction for prosecution of Hakim, Mukherjee, Mitra and former minister Sovan Chatterjee. Singh also wanted to know whether the assembly speaker could question the validity of the sanction for prosecution when the issue was pending before the high court. Justice Mantha wanted to hear the speaker’s views before taking up the matter for hearing again on Tuesday.
The officers appeared before the speaker at the Vidhan Sabha at 4 pm, in accordance with the HC order, and stayed there for 30 minutes. Neither the officers nor Banerjee spoke to the media after that.
The CBI started the investigation into the Narada sting operation in March 2017 after a Calcutta HC directive. The sting surfaced before the 2016 assembly elections in Bengal; several videos showed prominent Bengal politicians and one police officer being offered cash to further a business proposal and some accepting it. The CBI probe report was sent to the Bengal governor in January 2021, seeking permission to prosecute Hakim, Mukherjee, Mitra and Chatterjee. Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar granted the sanction on May 7, 2021, five days after the Trinamool handed out a 213-77 defeat to the BJP in the assembly polls.
( News Source :Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Rashtra News staff and is published from a timesofindia.indiatimes.com feed.)
